Sports News Aug 20th - Aug 31th
Girl’s Golf Competes in O’Neill
by Leslie Dohmen
Pierce High’s Lady Jay golf team competed at the O’Neill invite with ideal golfing weather and hardly any wind, on Thursday, August 20.
The Lady Jay golfers were up against teams from O’Neill, Valentine, Battle Creek, Norfolk Catholic, Cedar Catholic, Crofton, West Holt, Ainsworth, and Plainview. The Lady Jays, however, did not receive an overall team score because not everyone on the five-woman team competed. The team had two varsity golfers: Paige Johnson and Amber Albrecht, but they also had one junior varsity golfer: Haley Dohmen.
Amber Albrecht, returning letterwinner, golfed a personal best carding a 118. Albrecht placed on par at the meet and stayed consistent with her scores, according to golf coach Melinda Stelling.
Paige Johnson, also a returning letterwinner, was close to making her personal best, but missed it by 3 strokes with a score of 128.
Haley Dohmen played junior varsity for her first meet, but will eventually play varsity. This was her first golf meet and she received a score of 145.
Head coach Melinda Stelling was very pleased with how the girls competed in their first meet. “The girls took advantage of the nice weather and played up to or better than their capabilities,” said coach Stelling, “which was nice to see for the first meet of the season.”
In the coming weeks of practice, the team will work on each individual's weakest points and also watch videos of professionals and themselves to see where they need work and what they can fix.
The girls’ next meet will take place on Friday, August 7, at 9 a.m. in Wayne.
Lady Jays Softball Drops First Game to Wisner-Pilger
by Madison Siedschlag
The Lady Jays’ softball team lost its season opener to the Wisner-Pilger Gators on Thursday, August 20, at Pierce’s home field with a score of 8 to 10 for JV and 1 to 6 for varsity.
To start the JV game, Wisner-Pilger scored two runs to jump out to an early lead. In the bottom of the inning, the Lady Jays started with Annie Johnson at bat. She grounded out, which led Brianna Aguilera up to bat with a single. Jordyn Bullock then walked to first base, leading Aguilera to second. Bats from Courtney Yawn and Kate Asmus sent Aguilera home, scoring the Lady Jays’ first point. Kiley Bierman brought the Lady Jays’ third out, ending the first inning with a score of 1 to 2.
In the second, the Gators gained bases from several walks and a double on the Lady Jays, scoring them four runs. When the Lady Jays stepped up to the plate once more, Kaylee Dvorak and Aguilera had singles, but the Lady Jays were unable to score, leaving the inning at 1 to 6.
In the third inning, several walks and a double led to four more runs for the Gators, but the Gators had some weak pitching of their own, allowing the Lady Jays to score two runs from walks and errors.
The Lady Jays took the field at the top of the fourth, trailing by a score of 3 to 10. In this inning, the Lady Jays outscored the Gator,s holding them to one run and scoring 5 of their own. However, the game ended at four innings so the varsity game could begin, leaving the Gators with a victory of 8 to 11.
The varsity team then took the field. Wisner scored a run in the top of the first to take an early lead. With the Lady Jays at bat in the bottom of the inning, Kayla Reinke had a single, but the Lady Jays weren’t able to answer the Gators and ended the inning scoreless.
Wisner hammered away four more runs in the top of the second, and the Lady Jays went three up three down to fall behind 0 to 5.
In the third, the Lady Jays defense held strong and allowed Wisner no runs, but they were unable to capitalize on offense and remained scoreless.
In the fourth, the Lady Jays allowed the Gators to score one run, but despite a single from Bullock, they still were unable to put points on the scoreboard, heading into the fifth down 0 to 6.
For the rest of the game, the Lady Jays’ defense held the Gators, who scored no more runs. Yawn had a single in the fifth, and Bullock had a single in the sixth to add to the Lady Jays’ hits. Desirea Druyor’s single in the sixth earned her an RBI to put the Lady Jays’ only point on the board.
Neither team scored in the seventh, so the Lady Jays took their first lost of the season to the Wisner-Pilger Gators by a final score of 1 to 6.
Pitcher Kayla Reinke threw three strikeouts from the mound throughout the game.
Following the loss, coach Jamie Stark said, “We gave up a couple unearned runs and didn’t take control of our opportunities on offense.”
The Lady Jays’ next games were played in a tournament in Wayne on Saturday, August 22, and they played again Tuesday, August 25, against Highway 91 at home. They will take the field again in a tournament hosted by Wisner-Pilger on Saturday, August 29.
Jays Play Blue-White Scrimmage
by Maci Kroupa
In preparation for another season of competition, Pierce High’s football team played their annual blue and white scrimmage Friday, August 21, with the win going to the blue team 25 to 14.
The blue and white scrimmage is an opportunity for coaches to see all of their players in a game-like situation. It also gives the coaches an idea of what they need to continue working on as a team and as individuals.
Since the junior and senior players were split evenly as well as the sophomores and freshman, it was difficult, according to head coach Mark Brahmer, to get a real gauge on how the Jays will play in the upcoming season.
Although coach Brahmer was pleased with the overall play of both teams, he says the young men need to be more aggressive and relentless up front on the defensive and offensive line. Brahmer did say, however, that the Bluejays definitely have the experience and talent up front to be a very good unit.
Along with the scrimmage, there was a free will donation held at the concession stand for Kim Martinson, the high school’s bookkeeper. All proceeds from the concessions stands catered by the Tinker family and help from the Band Boosters went to Martinson and her family currently battling cancer down in Omaha. The funds raised totaled over $2,000.
Playing the North Bend Tigers on Friday, August 28, the Jays will hold their first game at home at 7p.m.
Lady Jays Suffer 3 Losses In Tournament
by Madison Siedschlag
The Pierce Lady Jays softball team traveled to Wayne on Saturday, August 22, and played in a tournament. They lost to Wayne 0 to 10, Twin River 0 to 14, and Ord 10 to 11.
To start off the tourney, the Lady Jays played Wayne. In the first inning, Wayne’s pitcher walked one Lady Jay to first base, but ended Pierce’s offense quickly by striking out three other batters. Wayne jumped out to an early lead, scoring four runs to end the first. In the second inning, the Lady Jays got another walk, but then struck out three times in a row. In the field, the Lady Jays held Wayne to one run in the second, heading into the third down 0 to 5. In the third inning, Kiley Bierman and Kayla Reinke had singles for the Lady Jays, but they were unable to send anyone across home plate and remained scoreless. Four more runs from Wayne in the third left the Lady Jays with a 0 to 9 deficit. With one single from Brianna Aguilera in the fourth but no runs, Pierce had to hold Wayne in order to avoid a loss from the ten-run rule, but Wayne managed a run in the fourth to pull ahead by ten points and end the game according to NSAA rules.
The next game the Lady Jays played was against Twin River. Annie Johnson and Reinke each hit a single in the first inning, but the Lady Jays were unable to send any batters home. In the bottom of the inning, Twin River jumped out to a huge lead with eight runs. When the Lady Jays stepped up to the plate in the second inning, Courtney Yawn was walked, but the three following batters grounded out, putting them back out in the field on defense. Twin River continued their momentum in the second, scoring six more runs to take a 0 to 14 lead. In order to remain in the game, the Lady Jays needed to score in the third but ended the inning with no runs. The game then ended with a Twin River victory as NSAA rules state that if a team is 12 or more points ahead after the third inning, the game is over.
For their final game of the day, the Lady Jays played Ord. The Lady Jays stepped up to the plate first, and Johnson started out with a walk. She crossed the home plate thanks to singles from Bullock and McKenzie Kallhoff to advance her around the bases, ending the inning with a score of 1 to 0 after holding Ord scoreless in the first. In the second inning, Kallhoff and Aguilera each hit a single, but the Lady Jays were unable to score. Ord came through scoring two runs, taking the lead in the end of the second inning by a score of 1 to 2. Singles from Johnson, Bullock, Desirea Druyor, and Kallhoff in the third helped the Lady Jays score two runs, but Ord managed a run to keep the score tied 3 to 3 going into the fourth. At the plate once again, Johnson, Reinke, Yawn, and Aguilera all made it home in the fourth inning with the help of Morgan Stone and Bullock hitting singles for the Lady Jays. The Lady Jays’ defense allowed Ord two runs, leaving Pierce with a lead of 7 to 5. In the fifth inning, Yawn, Aguilera, and Asmus all crossed home plate with singles from Stone and Reinke, but the game remained tight when the Lady Jays took the field as Ord scored five runs of their own to tie the game 10 to 10 in the fifth. Although the time limit for the game was up, it went into an extra inning due to the tie. In the sixth and final inning, the Lady Jays scored no runs while Ord managed one, leading to Ord to just edge out the Lady Jays 10 to 11.
Assistant coach Zach Weber, who coached the team through Saturday’s games, said despite the losses at the tournament, the highlight of the day was the “attitude the girls brought to the third game. They bounced back well after losing two games.”
The Lady Jays’ next game was Tuesday, August 24, against Highway 91. Their upcoming outing to the field will be Saturday, August 29, at the Wisner-Pilger tournament.
Varsity Takes Loss, JV Wins Against Highway 91
by Maci Kroupa
The Pierce Lady Jays’ softball team played Highway 91 on Tuesday, August 25, on the Pierce home field. The JV team tallied up a victory of 17 to 3, while the varsity took a loss of 10 to 18.
To get the night rolling, the Pierce JV took the field as the home team. In the top of the first inning, Highway 91 scored three runs on the Jays to jump out to an early lead, but the Lady Jays came back strong in the bottom of the inning, scoring 12 runs as Highway 91’s pitcher walked five players. To help the offensive effort in the first, Lady Jays Courtney Yawn, Kaylee Dvorak, Brianna Aguilera, Kate Asmus, and Kiley Bierman all had singles and made it home. McKenzie Kallhoff took the first out with a pop fly to right field, but the team kept rolling with a double by Yawn. Dvorak had a hard hit to left field resulting in a triple but didn’t make it home as Kate Asmus then struck out leaving the first inning 12 to 3.
In the second inning, Highway 91 struggled offensively and scored no runs. Highway 91 also had some struggles with pitching, which lead to six walks for the Lady Jays, and a single by Yawn. The Lady Jays took advantage of Highway 91’s weak pitching, leaving the final score 17 to 3 due to the NSAA’s 12-run rule.
After the JV game, the varsity took the field as home team. Highway 91 was able to score only one run on the Lady Jays in the top of the first. Kicking things off for Pierce offensively, Annie Johnson was walked, and was one of the first runners home in the first. Action then started when Morgan Stone hit a ball out to left field and gained a single, pushing Desirea Druyor to second and Johnson home. Yawn then hit a double, sending Druyor and Stone home for an inning score of 3 to 1.
The Lady Jays’ defense then held Highway 91, not allowing them to add to their score in the second inning. Highway 91 put the heat on the ball in the bottom of the inning, however, and the Lady Jays were unable to score, leaving the game at a standstill of 3 to 1 for the second inning
In the third inning, the Lady Jays’ defense couldn’t quite hold Highway 91 as they pounded out three more points. Unfortunately, the Lady Jays couldn’t answer back, and the third inning ended with a score of 3 to 4 as Highway 91 took the lead.
As the fourth inning rolled around, Pierce’s defense held Highway 91 scoreless in the top. With the Lady Jays up to bat, Aguilera was hit by a pitch, and was able to make it home. Bierman, Kayla Reinke, and Stone all had singles, but didn’t cross home plate.
Throughout the next few innings, the Lady Jays were not able to hold Highway 91, who racked up a run in the fifth, three in the sixth, and two in the seventh to take over the game with a score of 3 to 10. The Lady Jays were unable to catch up with Highway 91 until the 7th, where the Jays got things going again. Reinke, Kallhoff, Yawn, and Asmus all had singles, and Aguilera hit a double. Highway 91’s weak pitching also brought in a run, leaving the score tied 10 to 10 and sent the game into extra innings.
The game's last lead went to Highway 91, who had an eighth inning rally that put eight runs on the board. With the Lady Jays unable to answer, the final score was left at 10 to 18.
“I liked the resilience the girls showed in the 7th inning,” said head coach Jamie Stark, “but we need to work on situations in practice.”
The Lady Jays hit the road for an away game against West Point-Beemer on Tuesday September 1. They will play their next game at home on Thursday, September 3, against O’Neill.
Girls’ Golf Heads to Wayne
by Leslie Dohmen
Pierce High’s Lady Jays’ golf team was back at it with another meet that took place in Wayne on Friday, August 28, with a little gloomy weather.
Going up against teams from Battle Creek, Laurel Concord Coleridge, Crofton, Wayne, Cedar Catholic, Stanton, Oakland-Craig, Elkhorn Valley, Tekamah-Herman, and Thurston County for their second outing of the season, all five of Pierce’s team members competed, but Paige Johnson and Amber Albrecht were the only ones who golfed varsity for the entire meet. Paige Kerber, Haley Dohmen, and Samantha Svendsen did golf varsity for part of the course but then switched to junior varsity as they were having trouble with their tee boxes. Pierce didn’t receive a team score because of the switch of the three girls into junior varsity.
Individually, Albrecht placed 19th with a score of 118. Albrecht did not quite make a personal best because she got the same score as she did in the previous meet, but she did medal. Each person set individual goals at the beginning of the season, and one of Albrecht’s goals was to medal at three meets. Albrecht’s fellow varsity golfer Johnson placed 28th at this meet with a score of 132.
Golfers Kerber, Dohmen, and Svendsen did not have an exact score because of the switch from varsity to junior varsity.
Head coach Melinda Stelling was pleased with how the girls competed on Friday. The goal for the team though is to work on their tee boxes and get better distance on their shots for the next meet, so that they will be better prepared for their tee boxes.
“I was encouraged by the fact that Amber medaled,” said coach Stelling, “and the girls are maintaining positive attitudes.”
The golfers’ next meet will take place Thursday, September 3, at Atkinson at 9 a.m.
Bluejays Defeat North Bend Tigers
By Maci Kroupa
With four defensive touchdowns to help seal the deal, the Bluejay football team crushed the North Bend Tigers 58 to 20 in their season opener on Pierce’s home field Friday, August 28.
In the first quarter, things started off in the Jays’ favor as North Bend snapped the ball into the end zone, which gave the Jays two points. Momentum picked up when Austin Freeman scored on a 42-yard run, and Levi Sudbeck made the kick for one extra point to give the Jays a 9 to 0 lead. A fumble recovery by Brady Starkel resulted in a 42-yard touchdown run, and Sudbeck once again hit the extra point. North Bend’s defense was no match for the Bluejays in the first as Sudbeck put up another extra point for Pierce after a he had a 20-yard punt block return. The offense kept rolling as Freeman had an 11-yard run to the end zone and Sudbeck hit the point after, leaving the North Bend Tigers scoreless and Blue Jays up by 30 after one.
Coming out strong in the second quarter, Freeman took the field again with a 54-yard run, and Sudbeck again made the extra point. A 20-yard pass from Taggart Bailey to Sudbeck was the next touchdown for the Jays, and a kick from Sudbeck landed the extra point. The onslaught continued as Collin Tinker got an interception that lead to a 45-yard return for a touchdown. Bailey with a throw of 10 yards, passed it off to Sudbeck and was able to get to the end zone for another Bluejay TD. Oscar Backstrom then scored the extra point for the Jays. The Bluejay defense again held the Tigers from scoring in the second quarter, leaving the halftime score 58 to 0.
When the third quarter rolled around, the Pierce JV players were put in. The Jays allowed the Tigers their first touchdown of the night with no good extra point. The score came to a standstill for the rest of the quarter.
Pierce didn’t put anymore points on the board the rest of the game, and they let North Bend score two more times before the end of the fourth quarter. Still, their commanding lead was enough for them to take the win of 58 to 20.
Highlights of Friday night’s game were top rusher Freeman with a total of 107 yards, Bailey with 91 yards passing, and Sudbeck with 37 yards receiving. Top tacklers from the game were Mason Buckendahl with 17, Caleb Sullivan with 18, and Cody Yawn with 16 tackles.
Coach Mark Brahmer was most pleased with Pierce’s special teams plays. He said that the team’s kick coverage and their kicking were tremendous, and the Jays’ return game was solid as well.
“I felt very good about our overall start to the season against North Bend,” said Brahmer. “We had many outstanding individual performances that led to a solid team victory.”
The Bluejays will hit the road to an away game on Friday, September 4, against Arlington at 7 p.m.
Softball Suffers Losses at Wisner-Pilger Tourney
by Madison Siedschlag
The Pierce High Lady Jay softball team traveled to Wisner last Saturday, August 31. The team lost to David City 6 to 12, Highway 91 4 to 16, and O’Neill 2 to 7.
To start off the weekend, the Lady Jays played the David City Scouts. In the top of the inning, the Lady Jays held the Scouts on defense and kept their score at zero. Due to the Scouts’ poor pitching in the first inning, Annie Johnson got walked to first. With the help of Jordyn Bullock, Morgan Stone, and Courtney Yawn, Johnson made it home scoring one run for the Lady Jays in the bottom of the first, bringing the score to 1 to 0.
In the second inning, David City gained the lead, scoring two runs. For the Lady Jays, Brianna Aguilera grounded out, along with Kate Asmus and Desirea Druyor batting out, and the Lady Jays fell behind 1 to 2.
To start the third inning, David City hammered away another run. When the Lady Jays came up to bat, Bullock, Kiley Bierman, Johnson, and Yawn made it to first, and with the help of hits from teammates Kayla Reinke, Stone, and Druyor, they crossed home plate to rack up three runs in the third, taking the lead with a score of 4 to 3.
In the fourth inning, the Scouts managed four runs on the Lady Jays before three outs were up. On the offensive side of the inning, Asmus hit a single, but didn’t make it home before the Scouts could put away three outs, leaving the Lady Jays scoreless in the fourth inning, going into the fifth with the score at 4 to 7.
To start the fifth inning, David City got three walks, scoring them a total of four runs to extend their lead. In the bottom of the inning, Reinke hit a triple. Although Bullock, Stone, and Yawn struck out, Reinke managed to make it home, ending the inning with a score of 5 to 11, Scouts.
In the sixth inning, the Scouts scored only one run, but the Lady Jays weren’t able to catch up. Although Aguilera hit a triple, three girls grounded out, so she couldn’t make it home, so the inning score was 5 to 12.
For the final inning, the Lady Jay defense held strong and kept the Scouts from furthering their lead. In their last chance at bat, the Lady Jays’ Reinke hit a double, and Bullock hit a single, but only Reinke managed to cross home plate, ending the game with a final score of 6 to 12.
The Lady Jays’ next game was against Highway 91. Reinke started the first inning off by hitting a double but didn’t make it home before three outs were made, ending the inning scoreless for the Lady Jays. Highway 91 came back and scored four runs in the first, leaving the Lady Jays with a deficit of 0 to 4.
In the second inning, despite a single from Asmus and a triple from Aguilera, the Lady Jays couldn’t manage any runs. Highway 91 scored three runs on the Lady Jays, pulling further ahead with a score of 0 to 7 in the second inning.
In the third inning, the Lady Jays were able to get things going offensively, scoring four runs. With Johnson and Reinke making it to first, Bullock walking to first, and Kaylee Dvorak getting hit by a pitch, the Lady Jays took four runners across home. Highway 91 answered back and also scored four runs, ending the inning with a score of 4 to 11.
In the last inning, the Lady Jays scored no runs, and Highway 91 pounded out five. Since the Lady Jays were behind twelve points, NSAA rules say the game must stop, ending the game in four innings with a final score of 4 to 16.
In the Lady Jays third and final game they played O’Neill Eagles. In the first inning, Reinke hit a double, and with the help of Johnson, Bullock, Stone, and Druyor’s hits, she made it home. O’Neill scored two runs to take an early lead, ending the inning with a score of 1 to 2.
In the second inning, three Lady Jays grounded out right off the bat, and the Eagles scored one run, adding to their score and ending the second inning 1 to 3.
The third inning saw little action from either team on offense, as the score remained at 1 to 3 going into the fourth. For the fourth inning, Yawn was walked to first but everyone else grounded out, so she wasn’t able to make it home. The Eagles scored two runs in the fourth to extend their lead, making the score 1 to 5.
Aguilera started the fifth inning for the Lady Jays with a single, and Bierman made it to first, as well. With Johnson and Reinke’s hits, Aguilera made it home, adding a run to the Lady Jays’ score. The Eagles didn’t score in the fifth, so the inning score was 2 to 5.
For the sixth inning, Bullock and Druyor each made it to first, but no one managed to make it home. O’Neill then scored two runs, ending the sixth inning with a score of 2 to 7.
In the last inning, Asmus grounded out, and Aguilera and Bierman struck out, leaving the Lady Jays scoreless in the last inning. Since the Eagles were home team, they didn’t have to bat again, ending the game with a final score of 2 to 7.
Following the weekend of tough losses, head coach Jamie Stark said, “We have a young team that needs to learn how to win and compete.” The team will take the field again on Thursday, September 3, at home against O’Neill.
